I've had several people ask me now if I think "Guardians Of The Galaxy" is the best of the Marvel movies so far. That's a hard question to answer, because I think there are many different things that I look for in a film, and none of the Marvel movies scratch the exact same itch.

What's safe to say is that "Guardians Of The Galaxy" is the most charming Marvel movie so far. The primary ensemble (Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, and Vin Diesel) is perhaps the most winning group of characters they've introduced in any of these movies so far, and while it's hard to figure out their dynamic when you just read their names together or even in clips, by the end of the film, this is a family that I would happily follow through any number of movies. I'm not sure I've ever seen a film in which every major character steals every scene from every other major character, but that's exactly what happens here. As my oldest son said as we were driving home from the film and he was trying to list all of his favorite parts of the movie, "It's like they're all good parts!"

Indeed. It is a movie of all good parts.

While I suspected that James Gunn would get the action right and I knew he would crush it with the humor, what surprised me most about this film was the heart. The opening sequence may not be quite as devastating as Pixar's "Up," but it comes close, and it sets up a number of ideas that are paid off throughout the movie. We see young Peter Quill (Wyatt Oleff) in a hospital where his mother (Laura Haddock) lies dying. I loved seeing Gregg Henry show up in a brief role as Peter's grandfather, and the entire scene is very sad. Peter's already acting as if his mother is gone, angry and withdrawn, and by the end of the sequence, everything has changed for him in a number of ways, and we jump forward to discover Peter Quill as an adult, played now by Chris Pratt. He's landing on an alien planet, where he has reason to believe he will find an artifact that will fetch him a huge payday from an interested bidder.

If you're not onboard by the end of the opening title sequence, "Guardians Of The Galaxy" may not be for you. I think it does a spectacular job of setting a tone and a sense of humor and a sensibility for the film, mixing real space opera, outrageous humor, and a sweetness that I think is part of who James Gunn is as a person. Sure, this is the guy who made "Slither" and "Super," and who started his career at Troma, and he may love filthy, filthy, filthy jokes, but there is a decency to these characters and this film that speaks to who Gunn really is. There's something perverse about a movie featuring a band of space criminals who all end up being positively adorable, and from that opening title sequence to the enchanting final pre-credits shot, it's apparent that Gunn adores these characters.

Let's offer up a few criticisms. There is a familiar form that Marvel films are starting to take, narrative wise. Introduce a doodad. Establish that the doodad does something powerful. Everyone chases the doodad around. Doodad does its thing. Heroes. Bad guys. Light show. Here's a billion dollars. It's getting familiar, and "Guardians" is built on that same narrative spine. I think they do it well, and there's a scene in the middle of the movie that suddenly drops perhaps the single biggest puzzle piece in the overall Marvel movie universe into place, offering up a connective perspective that should allow even the most casual of viewers to suddenly understand the bigger picture a little better, but there's no denying that it is a familiar shape for these films.

It's also probably true that the bad guys in the film get slighted a bit, no doubt a function of Gunn having so much fun with the good guys. I think Ronan The Accuser (Lee Pace) is visually striking, but barely a character. He has one truly great scene in the film, and a few good moments, but he's a visual marker more than he's a character. Sadly, the same is true of Nebula (Karen Gillan), who is one of the most arresting designs for a villain since Darth Maul, but who is basically kept pacing at the side of things until the last fifteen or twenty minutes. I like everything she does, but there's not nearly enough of it. By far, the most interesting villain is one that we only meet for one scene, but if this is how they plan to handle Thanos (Josh Brolin) moving forward, then I'm excited. He's very strange, very clearly not just someone in make-up, and I'd love to see him carry more of a movie.

Having said all of that, I still think this is one of Marvel's most successful films because of how enormously winning the Guardians themselves are. From the first scene where Rocket (Cooper) and Groot (Diesel) encounter Gamora (Saldana) and Quill, there is such an immediate easy rapport that it feels like they've already made 20 films together. They end up in The Kyln, a bizarre space prison where they come into contact with Drax The Destroyer (Bautista), who is sworn to kill Thanos and his children for what happened to his family. He is happy to include Ronan on his list of targets, and sees the appearance of Gamora as a chance to make that happen.

You probably shouldn't know anything else about the story than that. We get to meet various members of the Nova Corps, we visit a number of planets, there is a spectacularly weird trip to the home of The Collector (Benicio Del Toro), and there's a running subplot about Yondu (Michael Rooker) and the rest of the Ravagers that is very funny. We also learn quite a bit about each of our broken leads, and it is that very quality that binds them together. Rocket is bitter about the experimentation that created him. Drax wants revenge for his family. Quill misses Earth and he blames himself for how things ended with his mother. Gamora is not the real daughter of Thanos, but rather a trophy claimed in battle, one who is ready to turn her back on him in order to do the right thing. Each of them has some damage they are looking to repair, whether they realize it or not.

Pratt emerges here as a full-blown movie star. He is funny, he is genuinely heroic, and he is touching as he struggles to become the man he has been pretending to be. Saldana does typically strong work, shading Gamora with a richer inner life than would seem possible at first glance. For me, Bautista is the film's most delicious surprise. He is hilarious, and there are some really weird choices he makes as an actor that end up paying off magnificently. From now on, he should be thought of as an actor first, a wrestler second. Bradley Cooper's take on Rocket Raccoon has already set off some controversy in the HitFix offices, but I really love that he's not remotely cute or overtly funny. Rocket is an angry, unhappy little creature, and he gets his feelings hurt easily. Cooper plays the emotional truth of Rocket first, and any other reaction you have to him comes from that truth. And then there's Groot, a miracle of fantastic animation and a beautiful vocal interpretation by Vin Diesel. If Pratt's the real-life movie start here, then Groot is the breakout character. He ends up conveying so much heart, so much fascinating emotion, that it's hard to believe he only speaks four words in the film.

Visually, it's a beautiful film. Ben Davis shoots the film in a way that is both colorful and bright and yet moody and at times very creepy. Charles Wood's production design shines here, and in a post-"Alien"/post-"Star Wars" world, it can be very difficult to create something that has that lived-in worn out well-used feel without also being derivative, but I think they've done it. Groot and Rocket are both completely successful as characters, effortlessly real. I look forward to seeing Rocket eventually trading dialogue with Tony Stark, just like I look forward to seeing what Captain America would make of Groot. These characters belong in the Marvel movie universe.

For parents, be aware that the language is a little saltier than your average Marvel movie. Young kids will be delighted and they'll feel like they got away with something. There's one joke that you will be asked to explain and you will wisely refuse completely. But this is a family film in the sense that it explores just what it is that defines family, and how important it is at a certain point for us to pick our families and not just accept the ones we were given. It is smart, it is funny, and it has a massive heart. It's also the most overtly romantic of the Marvel movies, and if you see it with someone you feel squishy about, it's that much more enjoyable.

This is a ride that I'll be taking many more times in the theater this summer, and somewhere right now, the kid who introduced me to Rocket Raccoon back in the mid-'80s is a grown man who is going to sit in a theater, dumbfounded to see this character brought to such vivid life. For him, and for anyone who believes that Marvel is building one of the best stables of characters anywhere, "Guardians Of The Galaxy" is a delight.

And, yes, all those songs are in the movie, and yes, they are perfect.

A respected critic and commentator for fifteen years, Drew McWeeny helped create the online film community as "Moriarty" at Ain't It Cool News, and now proudly leads two budding Film Nerds in their ongoing movie education.

I'm surprised to read in a number of reviews that Benecio Del Toro's The Collector only shows up in one scene? I sort of figured he have more to do in the MCU. Do they set him up to have bigger role in future flicks?

Also, can you clarify is Thanos is Josh Brolin in makeup or a cgi / mocap voiced by Brolin?

I think so many blockbusters are focused on spectacle that they forget personality and charm are actually the things that make movies memorable.

I saw this earlier this week and agree that there's nothing new about the plot -- its the standard formula for these movies, and it would feel tired and worn out except that it feels like they then dropped in the students who sit at the back of the class cutting wise. It's amazing how that infusion of personality and humor -- and a careful balance of tone -- turn what could have been a mediocre tale into something highly enjoyable and very fun.

There are fewer "chase the doo-dad" Marvel movies than you would think, if you actually go back and count them. But I do agree that those arbitrarily magical MacGuffins are a staple of big-budget filmmaking that gets old.

I certainly don't think The Winter Soldier had one. Zto date, I think that's my favorite Marvel movie. Apart from finding Iron Mans 2 and 3 hugely disappointing, I like all of the Marvel Studios films... But Cap 2 edges out The Avengers and the first Iron Man as my favorite.

And now I'm looking forward to having that top spot challenged by Guardians. Just the fact that Marvel's releasing two films as different as Cap 2 and Guardians in the same year tells me they're not going to run out of ideas any time soon.

Good stuff. I'm a pretty big fan of nearly everyone involved and I love that Chris Pratt has suddenly developed into this guy who gets to lead action movies, because he's awesome. I'm really looking forward to this one.

I don't want to light a fire about this or anything, but I couldn't help but notice that Drew's comment about Quill becoming the man that he's been pretending to be sound like a much more successful three act evolution than another certain sci-fi franchise which had to spend two whole films before the guy was ready just to start and try to make that change.

The last few Marvel movies before that one had turned me off of the franchise so much, I just had zero interest (plus it didn't look that good in trailers). I will rent it though when it comes out (I eventually see them all).

how can you say the bad guys are not great but it doesn't matter? look, i get it if you liked aspects of the film, but if the bad guy sucks then that's bad and you should report it as such. if you don't, i go into the theater thinking that i'm going to watch something great, and then the villain is terrible like they so often are in these things (jj abrams star trek, every marvel movie) and i'm left feeling empty because i just saw something that was just okay instead of awesome. a bad, as in not compelling bad guy devalues the film, no two ways about it, and you've got to include that in your review or you are doing me and everyone else, who otherwise likes what you write, a diservice

I'm confused, because he thought the Ronan was just ok, that automatically makes the rest of the movie bad? He is saying from a great film, the bad guys are the weakest element in it, but they still have their moments. If he thought Ronan and the other baddies were terrible, he would actually say that.

It would depend on how important the bad guys are to the film's story. If they aren't where the focus is, which is what this review sounds like, that's not a big deal. If they gave them a ton of screentime and they weren't compelling, that would be a bigger issue.

to, chris, sean_c and lando (if that is indeed your real name, and if it is, bravo) what mcweeny did is gloss over the fact that the villains are not very good. but how can you have a great hero's journey without an equally an equally great villain's journey. the bi-line reads, and i quote, the bad guys may not be great, but it doesn't matter. what i am saying to you is, it always matters. that's where the stakes come from. a good bad guy is always essential, without it, what you have is an inherent flawed story surrounded by spectacle and that just isn't enough anymore. it's bad screenwriting and bad directing. despite all the humor and good performances which i'm sure this thing is loaded with, you can't proclaim it great. you just can't. and the reviewer, who i like to read, and agree with most of the time, has steered me wrong on these marvel things because he doesn't take that into account. i think it's because he sees these movies through his sons eyes, and that's beautiful, but it also cheapens the review. i don't know why mcween has a soft spot for marvel but it is obvious that he does. i just with i didn't have to wade through all that.

Ummm...if you haven't seen the movie, how can you say the villains aren't that good? I take it you are assuming? And based on your assumptions alone you are saying that Drew wrote a bad review? Please review and read this fact pattern and then contemplate how gigantic of a tool you are. Thankfully, I've never met you, but I am just assuming you are a tool.

I guess I just don't understand what it is that you're complaining about. You were given more than enough information about the content of the film to make up your own mind; is the lack of an awesome villain really where you draw the line on whether or not you see this film? Not everybody has the same mindset on that problem as you. Why that seems to be making you angry is beyond me.

if you want to boil it down to the simplest terms, what i have a problem with is the word GREAT. it is impossible to have a GREAT film with terrible bad guys. you just can't. what if darth vader was sensitive to princess leia's feelings and didn't blow up alderaan (that's with two as) or he didn't kill ben, or chop off luke's hand. what if he just tried to reason with luke. come on guys, why was mike meyers so awesome, he was pure evil, did he ever stop to think, gee i wonder if my behavior is moral? how about the joker in the dark knight? how good is that movie, if the joker wasn't such a charming rogue. you can't have a great movie when the bad guy is inadequate, even if they look good. it can be good, maybe even really good, but not great. great means holy poop i can't live without seeing that movie at least 40 more times. great is nearly impossible to achieve, great happens rarely. captain america 2 was good, not great, why? because i could see robert redford coming a mile away. bad bad guy. come on guys, you all deserve better than this from hollywood and from your reviewers. again, mcweeny is really good, just not great when it comes to marvel crap.

hey, mark. first let me say i'm glad that you resorted to insulting me instead of saying anything of real value. guess what that makes you... a tool. no i have not seen the movie. my comments are based on the review by the reviewer not the film. if you had an IQ above a lug nut you would have realized that. i didn't say anything inflamatory here. i didn't say mcweeny should be strung up and gutted like a pig. or that marvel should be burned down. i simply said i have a problem saying good bad guys don't matter. surely i'm not the only one who believe that. surely i'm not the only one who was promised a roaring good time with a marvel film and found the villains to be half baked and walked away feeling empty as a result. who knows, maybe mcweeny got it wrong. maybe the villains are awesome. he said they are not and i wrote my comments accordingly. as for your insult, seriously dude?

My thoughts on your comment can be summarized by taking a quote from a good movie (only good because it didn't have Darth Vader or Heath Ledger's Joker):

"what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."

my bad, MR DARK, i just assumed your name was mark, not some half baked, super villains bad nickname. now i just feel stupid for replying to a dude named MR DARK. I guess you're right i am the too. man this is a slow day at work.

my bad, MR DARK, i just assumed your name was mark, not some half baked, super villains bad nickname. now i just feel stupid for replying to a dude named MR DARK. I guess you're right i am the too. man this is a slow day at work.

...said the lug nut who once again is resorting to insults instead of countering the argument. why don't you turn off the grandma-fisting porn, turn off the view, wipe the donut sprinkles off your hairy chest, put on a t-shirt and go read about a little thing i like to call civil discourse. this is where people with different views exchange apposing ideas.

It's simple. I've seen the movie. "I" think it's great. Yet Ronan and his minions are not great bads. Yet ... "I" still think it's a great movie. Was immensely entertained start to finish. Drew liked it. Other reviewers have. If you saw it you probably would not. I'm sure not everyone will like it. And ......

That's OK

Don't understand the Internet manifestos of rallying the people to one side while disparaging the other. Have your opinion - respect other's

i am speaking to mike macinieas. me and my friends have ahd way to many bottles of whine tonight but i wanted to respond to your comment. look, i respect other people opinions. but i expect mine to be respected equally. if a person does not agree with me, that is totally cool, but don't call me a tool just because my opinion differs from yours. that's what mr. dark did, several others told me not to be so hotile, i find it odd that after i wrote an opinion that was not all that inflamatory, that people would come after me like my opinion lacks merit. that's crap my opinion is legit, and i refuse to be told that it's not. i'm okay with people telling me i'm wrong, just don't tell me that my ideas are baseless, they are not, they are legit, i know mcweeny, if he actually read this crap, would agree my arguement has merit, even if he disagrees, why can't the masses afford me the same? whatever.

I attended an early screening in Dallas last week and can tell you that I think Drew nailed this review. I think you can reconcile the lack of a strong villain and still ending up with a great movie.

Ronan may not have a strong story arch, but he is certainly a threat. Much like a modern day terrorist, he is mad and cannot be reasoned with. He is shown as someone that kills for revenge as well as out of the tradition, honor and beliefs of his people. He is also pretty fearless and make some surprising choices that put him at risk. However, he is a warrior and doesn't seem to fear much.

Does a villain have to have a story arch and a compelling motivation that helps you sympathize with him? Or is it sufficient to be a madman and a true threat?

What is there is more than one threat? What is you can't predict where the danger will come from or where? I can think of at least four main characters that could be considered a mortal threat to Quill, many others that wanted to kill him (including two of his own team), and just about everyone else was against him. The whole movie is practically one big obstacle and the stakes are higher than any Marvel movie yet.

I think you will find that not knowing the main villains intimately does not diminish the threat or the impact made by the film. I feel comfortable saying that this movie gets it right more than most in both the super hero and the space opera genres. It was very cool surprise.

I think I disagree with the root of your argument. Case in point, Lord of The Rings. Consider the entire book revolves around an amorphous "eye" that no-one ever meets, in fact a case could be made that the villain of the trilogy is the ring itself! How much more one dimensional can a villain get? Orcs have even less depth than sauropod does even sauran's betrayal seems quite petty. Yet the plot is engaging and the heroes are unforgettable, the sheer grandeur of the environment does the rest. A poor execution of Villany can be overcome through good core character deveolopment, but they gotta be really good heroes. Having seen the film I think that they hit the mark here. IMHO

An important question that I have not yet seen addressed: is there or is there not a post-credits sequence at the end? Given Marvel's track record I'd stay to watch just in case, but some confirmation would be nice.

Second Drew's comments. Caught an early screening and just loved it. Screw JJ's coming mummyfest - this is the real Star Wars sequel, or as close as we're going to get to it; plus it's the snottiest Marvel movie yet and brings some much-needed bad attitude to the MCU. Can you imagine all those new-age parents discovering their kids latest craze is a psycho raccoon who loves blasting things? Ohhhhh Yeah, as Rocket would say. (And the Avengers crossover will be nice, but I think it would be more fun to stick 'em with Coulson and see who wanted to strangle him first...)

The Marvel comics are full of great villains but, with the exception of Loki, none of the villains in the Marvel studios movies have been great. Red Skull came off as a bit generic. None of the Iron Man villains were very special, I can remember nothing about the Abomination, and they didn't really even try with the elf in Thor 2. Admittedly, Marvel's best villains (Magneto, Dr. Doom Norman Osborn) are all owned by other studios, but I feel like the people making Marvel's movies don't try too hard with the villains.

Oh, ok, yes. It's funny, I remembered Robert Redford but didn't bother listing him here, but kinda forget about the actual Winter Soldier. I guess I don't completely consider him a villain, but he sure had some great action scenes.